System and method for reacting to signals

ABSTRACT

Provided herein is a system and method of a vehicle that detects a signal and reacts to the signal. The system comprises one or more sensors; one or more processors; a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to perform detecting a signal from a source; determining an intended action of the vehicle based on the detected signal; sending, to the source, a response signal indicative of the intended action; determining whether the source has sent a response to the response signal; and in response to determining that the source has sent a response to the response signal, taking the intended action based on the response to the response signal.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicles such asassisted-driving vehicles or autonomous vehicles (AVs), and inparticular, some embodiments relate to such vehicles detecting a signal,for instance, from an other vehicle or pedestrian, providing a responsesignal to the other vehicle or pedestrian, and taking an action inresponse to the detection of the signal.

BACKGROUND

On-board sensors in vehicles, such as autonomous vehicles (AVs),supplement and bolster the vehicle's field of vision by providingaccurate sensor data. Sensor data is used, for example, in applicationsof blind spot detection, lane change assisting, rear end radar forcollision warning or collision avoidance, park assisting, cross-trafficmonitoring, brake assisting, emergency braking, turning, and/orautomatic distance controlling. Examples of on-board sensors include,for example, passive sensors and active sensors. On-board sensorsinclude camera, Lidar, radar, GPS, sonar, ultrasonic, IMU (inertialmeasurement unit), accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and FIR(far infrared) sensors. Although sensors may detect objects such as roadsigns, parked vehicles, and pedestrians, the sensors may not be equippedto detect, interpret, and/or react to signals by other vehicles andpedestrians, such as an other vehicle in a neighboring lane signalingthat the other vehicle plans to change lanes, or pass the vehicle, apedestrian signaling that he or she plans to cross the street or toyield, and traffic signals by traffic controllers. These shortfalls areaddressed by the present inventions, which provides an efficient andeffective system and method to detect signals such as signals from othervehicles, pedestrians, and traffic controllers, and react to thedetected signals.

SUMMARY

Described herein are systems and methods for detecting a signal from asource, determining an intended action in response to the detectedsignal, sending a response signal to indicate the intended action to thesource, determining whether the source has sent a response to theresponse signal, and in response to determining that the source has senta response to the response signal, taking the intended action based onthe response to the response signal.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a systemcomprising one or more sensors; one or more processors; and a memorystoring instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors,causes the system to perform: detecting a signal from a source;determining an intended action of the vehicle in response to detectingthe signal; sending, to the source, a response signal indicative of theintended action; determining whether the source has sent a response tothe response signal; and in response to determining that the source hassent a response to the response signal, taking the intended action basedon the response to the response signal.

In some embodiments, the instructions further cause the system toperform: predicting one or more responses to the response signal; inresponse to determining that the source has sent a response to theresponse signal, determining whether the response to the response signalmatches one of the predicted one or more responses; if the response tothe response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses,taking the intended action; and if the response to the response signaldoes not match one of the predicted one or more responses, not takingthe intended action.

In some embodiments, the instructions further cause the system toperform: if the response to the response signal does not match one ofthe predicted one or more responses, resending the response signal tothe source; in response to resending the response signal to the source,determining whether the response to the resent response signal matchesone of the predicted one or more responses; if the response to theresponse signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses,taking the intended action; and if the response to the response signaldoes not match one of the predicted one or more responses, determiningan alternative action.

In some embodiments, the instructions further cause the system toperform: in response to determining that the source has not sent aresponse to the response signal, resending a response signal at anincreased brightness to the source; in response to resending theresponse signal to the source, determining whether the source has sent aresponse to the resent response signal; in response to determining thatthe source has sent a response to the resent response signal, taking theintended action based on the response to the response signal; and inresponse to determining that the source has not sent a response to theresent response signal, not taking the intended action.

In some embodiments, the signal is a flashing light on a side of thesource facing the vehicle, and indicates that the source intends toswitch into a lane occupied by the vehicle; the intended action isyielding to the source; the response signal indicative of the intendedaction is a light moving from side to side; and the response to theresponse signal is speeding up the source while continuing the signal.

In some embodiments, the instructions further cause the system toperform: adjusting a brightness or a frequency of the response signalbased on a weather or visibility condition.

In some embodiments, the detecting the signal from the source comprises:in response to the vehicle not being completely in front of or behindthe source, with respect to a driving direction of the vehicle,detecting that the source is moving in a lateral direction towards thevehicle; and the intended action is yielding to the source.

In some embodiments, the determining the intended action of the vehiclecomprises: determining potential intended actions of the vehicle; andselecting, as the intended action, one of the potential intended actionsof the vehicle that consumes a least amount of resources and has a leastamount of interference with one or more other vehicles or pedestrians.

In some embodiments, the instructions further cause the system toperform: in response to detecting two signals from two respectivesources: determining whether to respond to the two signalssimultaneously with a single intended action; in response to determiningnot to respond to the two signals simultaneously, determining which ofthe two signals has a higher priority.

In some embodiments, the determining which of the two signals has ahigher priority is based on any of: which of the two signals wasdetected first, a current location of each of the two sources, and anintended destination of each of the two sources.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a methodimplemented by a computing system including one or more processors andstorage media storing machine-readable instructions, wherein the methodis performed using the one or more processors. The method comprisesdetecting a signal from a source; determining an intended action of thevehicle in response to detecting the signal; sending, to the source, aresponse signal indicative of the intended action; determining whetherthe source has sent a response to the response signal; and in responseto determining that the source has sent a response to the responsesignal, taking the intended action based on the response to the responsesignal.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises predicting one or moreresponses to the response signal; in response to determining that thesource has sent a response to the response signal, determining whetherthe response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one ormore responses; if the response to the response signal matches one ofthe predicted one or more responses, taking the intended action; and ifthe response to the response signal does not match one of the predictedone or more responses, not taking the intended action.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises, if the response tothe response signal does not match one of the predicted one or moreresponses, resending the response signal to the source; in response toresending the response signal to the source, determining whether theresponse to the resent response signal matches one of the predicted oneor more responses; if the response to the response signal matches one ofthe predicted one or more responses, taking the intended action; and ifthe response to the response signal does not match one of the predictedone or more responses, determining an alternative action.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises, in response todetermining that the source has not sent a response to the responsesignal, resending a response signal at an increased brightness to thesource; in response to resending the response signal to the source,determining whether the source has sent a response to the resentresponse signal; in response to determining that the source has sent aresponse to the resent response signal, taking the intended action basedon the response to the response signal; and in response to determiningthat the source has not sent a response to the resent response signal,not taking the intended action.

In some embodiments, the signal is a flashing light on a side of thesource facing the vehicle, and indicates that the source intends toswitch into a lane occupied by the vehicle; the intended action isyielding to the source; the response signal indicative of the intendedaction is a light moving from side to side; and the response to theresponse signal is speeding up the source while continuing the signal.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises adjusting a brightnessor a frequency of the response signal based on a weather or visibilitycondition.

In some embodiments, the detecting the signal from the source comprises:in response to the vehicle not being completely in front of or behindthe source, with respect to a driving direction of the vehicle,detecting that the source is moving in a lateral direction towards thevehicle; and the intended action is yielding to the source.

In some embodiments, the determining the intended action of the vehiclecomprises: determining potential intended actions of the vehicle; andselecting, as the intended action, one of the potential intended actionsof the vehicle that consumes a least amount of resources and has a leastamount of interference with one or more other vehicles or pedestrians.

In some embodiments, in response to detecting two signals from tworespective sources: determining whether to respond to the two signalssimultaneously with a single intended action; in response to determiningnot to respond to the two signals simultaneously, determining which ofthe two signals has a higher priority.

In some embodiments, the determining which of the two signals has ahigher priority is based on any of: which of the two signals wasdetected first, a current location of each of the two sources, and anintended destination of each of the two sources.

These and other features of the systems, methods, and non-transitorycomputer readable media disclosed herein, as well as the methods ofoperation and functions of the related elements of structure and thecombination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become moreapparent upon consideration of the following description and theappended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all ofwhich form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts in the various figures. It is to beexpressly understood, however, that the drawings are for purposes ofillustration and description only and are not intended as a definitionof the limits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Certain features of various embodiments of the present technology areset forth with particularity in the appended claims. A betterunderstanding of the features and advantages of the technology will beobtained by reference to the following detailed description that setsforth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the inventionare utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment of a system that detects asignal from a source, determines an intended action of a vehicle inresponse to detecting the signal, sends, to the source, a responsesignal indicative of the intended action, and takes the intended actionbased on the response to the response signal, and in response todetermining that the source has sent a response, according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2-9 illustrate exemplary implementations of the system, accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of an example of a method according tosome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram of an example computer system for implementing thefeatures disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order for a vehicle such as an AV to interact with vehicles such asAVs and pedestrians, the vehicle may determine what actions the othervehicles such as AVs and pedestrians are trying to take. One or moresensors of the vehicle may detect a signal from a source. The source maybe another vehicle, a pedestrian, or a traffic sign. A signal may be anindication that another vehicle plans to make a lane change or a turn.One or more processors of the vehicle may determine an action, inresponse to detecting the signal. The action may be yielding to theanother vehicle.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 of a system that detects asignal from a source, determines an intended action of the vehicle inresponse to the detected signal, sends a response signal indicative ofthe intended action, and takes the intended action based on an existenceand nature of the response signal, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. In FIG. 1, a vehicle such as an autonomous vehicle101 may include myriad sensors (LiDAR sensors 102, radar sensors 104,cameras 106, GPS, sonar, ultrasonic, IMU (inertial measurement unit),accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and FIR (far infrared)sensors) to detect and identify objects in the surrounding. The sensordata may comprise pictorial or image data (e.g., pictures, videos),audio data, audiovisual data, atmospheric data (e.g., temperature,pressure, elevation, and/or the like) captured in either real-time orwith a time delay. For example, the LiDAR sensors 102 can generate athree-dimensional map of the environment. The LiDAR sensors 102 can alsodetect objects in the environment. In another example, the radar systems104 can determine distances and speeds of objects around the vehicle101, and may be configured for adaptive cruise control and/or accidentavoidance and blind spot detection. In another example, the cameras 106can capture and process image data to detect and identify objects, suchas road signs, as well as deciphering content of the objects, such asspeed limit posted on the road signs. Such objects may include, but notlimited to, pedestrians, road signs, traffic lights, and/or othervehicles, for example. In some embodiments, the cameras 106 canrecognize, interpret, and analyze road signs (e.g., speed limit, schoolzone, construction zone, etc.) and traffic lights (e.g., red light,yellow light, green light, flashing red light, etc.). The vehicle 101can also include myriad actuators to propel and navigate the vehicle 101in the surrounding. Such actuators may include, for example, anysuitable electro-mechanical devices or systems to control a throttleresponse, a braking action, a steering action, etc. In some embodiments,based on image data captured by the cameras 106, the vehicle 101 canadjust vehicle speed based on speed limit signs posted on roadways. Forexample, the vehicle 101 can maintain a constant, safe distance from avehicle ahead (e.g., adaptive cruise control). In this example, thevehicle 101 maintains this safe distance by constantly adjusting itsvehicle speed to that of the vehicle ahead.

In various embodiments, the vehicle 101 may navigate through roads,streets, and/or terrain with limited or no human input. The word“vehicle” or “vehicles” as used in this paper includes vehicles thattravel on ground (e.g., cars, trucks, bus, etc.), but may also includevehicles that travel in air (e.g., drones, airplanes, helicopters,etc.), vehicles that travel on water (e.g., boats, submarines, etc.).Further, “vehicle” or “vehicles” discussed in this paper may or may notaccommodate one or more passengers therein. Moreover, phrases“autonomous vehicles,” “driverless vehicles,” or any other vehicles thatdo not require active human involvement can be used interchangeably.

In general, the vehicle 101 can effectuate any control to itself that ahuman driver can on a conventional vehicle. For example, the vehicle 101can accelerate, brake, turn left or right, or drive in a reversedirection just as a human driver can on the conventional vehicle. Thevehicle 101 can also sense environmental conditions, gauge spatialrelationships (e.g., distances between objects and itself), detect andanalyze road signs just as the human driver. Moreover, the vehicle 101can perform more complex operations, such as parallel parking, parkingin a crowded parking lot, collision avoidance, etc., without any humaninput.

The vehicle 101 may be connected, via a communication network 110, to atleast one computing system 122 that includes one or more processors andmemory. The one or more processors may be configured to perform variousoperations by interpreting machine-readable instructions. In someembodiments, the example environment 100 may be implemented as a dataplatform. In some embodiments, the example environment 100 may beconfigured to interact with computing systems of the data platform. Invarious embodiments, one or more computing systems of the data platformmay receive and process search queries to obtain sensor data, processthe sensor data, determine a action, and/or perform the action such as adriving action.

In some embodiments, the computing system 122 may include an actionengine 124 that may control operations of or relating to the sensorssuch as the LiDAR sensors 102, radar systems 104 and cameras 106, andperforming an action in response to detecting a signal. The actionengine 124 may include a detecting engine 125, a determining engine 126and a responding engine 128. The action engine 124 may be executed bythe processor(s) of the computing system 122 to perform variousoperations including those operations described in reference to thedetecting engine 125, the determining engine 126 and the respondingengine 128. In general, the action engine 124 may be implemented, inwhole or in part, as software that is capable of running on one or morecomputing devices or systems. In one example, the action engine 124 maybe implemented as or within a software application running on one ormore computing devices (e.g., user or client devices) and/or one or moreservers (e.g., network servers or cloud servers, servers 112). In someinstances, various aspects of the detecting engine 125, the determiningengine 126 and the responding engine 128 may be implemented in one ormore computing systems and/or devices. In some instances, one or more ofthe detecting engine 125, the determining engine 126 and the respondingengine 128 may be combined or integrated into a single processor, andsome or all functions performed by one or more of the detecting engine125, the determining engine 126 and the responding engine 128 may not bespatially separated, but instead may be performed by a common processor.The environment 100 may also include one or more servers 112 accessibleto the computing system 122. The one or more servers 112 may storesensor data from the vehicle 101, one or more sensors of other vehiclessuch as another vehicle 120, which may be an AV, one or more satellitemaps, and/or one or more road sensors such as sensors on traffic lights.In some embodiments, the one or more servers 112 may integrate data fromdifferent sensors. In other embodiments, the one or more servers 112 maykeep the data from the different sensors separate. The one or moreservers 112 may be accessible to the computing system 122 eitherdirectly or over the communication network 110. In some embodiments, theone or more servers 112 may store data that may be accessed by thedetermining engine 126 and the responding engine 128 to provide thevarious features described herein. In some embodiments, the one or moreservers 112 may store data that may be accessed by the another vehicle120. As an example, data from the action engine 124 may be stored in theone or more servers 112 and accessed by the another vehicle 120. Theanother vehicle 120 may also acquire data from the vehicle 101, eitherdirectly in an ad-hoc network, or through the one or more servers 112.In some instances, the one or more servers 112 may include federateddata stores, databases, or any other type of data source from which datamay be stored and retrieved, for example. In some implementations, theone or more servers 112 may include various types of data sets on whichdeterminations of accuracy or consistency with other information can bemade. In general, a user operating a computing device can interact withthe computing system 122 over the communication network 110, forexample, through one or more graphical user interfaces and/orapplication programming interfaces.

The detecting engine 125 may be configured to process data acquired fromthe sensors such as the LiDAR sensors 102, radar systems 104 and cameras106, and detect a signal from a source (e.g., another vehicle such asthe another vehicle 120, a pedestrian, or a road sign). In someembodiments, the signal may be a flashing light, a flashing row oflights, a blinking light, or a blinking row of lights on a side of thesource facing the vehicle 101. The flashing or blinking light or theflashing or blinking row of lights may indicate that the source intendsto overtake the vehicle 101 and to switch into a lane occupied by thevehicle 101, at a position in front of the vehicle 101. The detectingengine 125, in some embodiments, may be configured to determine arelative position of the source with respect to the vehicle 101. Forexample, the detecting engine 125 may be configured to determine whetherthe vehicle 101 is completely in front of or completely behind thesource, with respect to a travelling or driving direction of the vehicle101. If the source is not completely in front of or completely behindthe vehicle 101 (for example, if a back portion of the vehicle 101 isaligned with a front portion of a source, and the vehicle 101 and thesource), the detecting engine 125 may detect a lateral movement of thesource even if the source does not signal. The lateral movement may be amovement from a lane occupied by the source towards a lane occupied bythe vehicle 101, in a direction perpendicular to the driving directionof the vehicle 101. In some examples, the detecting engine 125 maydetect whether a distance of a lateral movement, or how much the sourcehas decreased its lateral distance from the vehicle 101, is above athreshold. In such a manner, the detecting engine 125 may be configuredto detect whether a source (e.g., the another vehicle 120) is intendingto overtake the vehicle 101 and to make a lane change, even when thesource does not provide a signal, which may occur when the source hasbroken signals (e.g., lights not working). In some embodiments, thedetecting engine 125 may only detect a lateral movement of a source ifthe source is not completely in front of or behind the vehicle 101, orif the source is within a field of view of the vehicle 101. In someembodiments, the detecting engine 125 may further be configured todetect pedestrians or people, for example, crossing a street. Thedetecting engine 125 may further be configured to recognize walkingmovements of pedestrians or people, and to recognize hand gestures orhand signals from pedestrians such as an upraised hand to indicate thatthe pedestrian is intending to cross a street. The detecting engine 125may further be configured to detect and distinguish bicycles andmotorcycles from other vehicles.

In response to the detecting engine 125 detecting a signal, thedetermining engine 126 may determine an intended action of the vehicle101 and confirm whether or not to take the intended action of thevehicle 101. In some embodiments, in response to the detecting engine125 detecting that a source (e.g., the another vehicle 120) intends toovertake the vehicle 101 and change into the lane occupied by thevehicle 101, the determining engine 126 may determine whether or not theintended action is to yield to the source (e.g., slowing down to allowthe another vehicle 120 to merge into the lane occupied by the vehicle101). In some embodiments, yielding comprises slowing down until thesource is completely in front of the vehicle 101. In some embodiments,the determining whether or not to yield to the source may be based onany of a safety of yielding, whether it is possible for the source tofit into the lane occupied by the vehicle 101, how much additional timeyielding to the source may consume or is predicted to consume, such aswhether or not yielding is predicted to result in the vehicle 101 havingto wait at or being stuck at a red light, an urgency or a priority ofthe source and of other vehicles behind the vehicle 101, and whetherallowing the source to enter into the lane occupied by the vehicle 101would, or is predicted to, result in a traffic imbalance or congestionin the lane occupied by the vehicle 101.

In some embodiments, the determining engine 126 may determine potentialintended actions of the vehicle and select one or more intended actions,from the potential intended actions of the vehicle, that consumes aleast amount of resources, such as electricity, fuel, time, or systemmemory consumption, and/or has a least amount of interference with oneor more other vehicles or pedestrians. In some examples, if the anothervehicle 120 has signaled an intent to change into the lane occupied bythe vehicle 101, the vehicle 101 may determine whether yielding to theanother vehicle 120 is predicted to cause delay for the vehicle 101 andsurrounding traffic such as traffic behind the vehicle 101, such ascausing the vehicle 101 and surrounding traffic travelling in a samelane as the vehicle 101, to get caught in a red light.

In some embodiments, the determining engine 126 may be configured todetermine whether to respond to two signals from two respective sourceswith a single intended action. In some examples, if another vehicle on aright side of the vehicle 101, and another vehicle on a left side of thevehicle 101 have both signaled intentions to overtake the vehicle 101and to merge into the lane occupied by the vehicle 101, the determiningengine 126 may determine whether or not to yield to both vehicles, onlyone of the two vehicles, or yield to none of the vehicles. In someexamples, the determining engine 126 may determine to yield to only oneof the two vehicles. For example, if the determining engine 126determines that enough space in front of the vehicle 101 exists for onlyone more vehicle but not for two more vehicles, then the determiningengine 126 may determine to yield to only one of the two vehicles. Thedetermining engine 126 may select which one of the two vehicles to yieldto based on a priority of each of the two vehicles. In some examples,the determining engine 126 may select one of the two vehicles to yieldto based on which vehicle signaled first, a current location of the twovehicles relative to the vehicle 101, an intended destination of the twovehicles, which vehicle more urgently needs to merge into the laneoccupied by the vehicle 101, and a type of each of the vehicles. Forexample, the determining engine 126 may select the vehicle that signaledfirst, to allow to yield into the lane occupied by the vehicle 101. Inother examples, the determining engine 126 may select the vehicle thatis in front, and therefore has a shorter distance to travel in order toovertake the vehicle 101. In other examples, the determining engine 126may select the vehicle that needs to change lanes to exit a highwayurgently, or make a turn at an intersection, rather than a vehicle thatis merely trying to change lanes to get to a faster lane such as a lanewith less traffic or faster driving vehicles. In other examples, thedetermining engine 126 may select the vehicle that is smaller to allowto yield into the lane occupied by the vehicle 101. In other examples,the determining engine 126 may select one of the two vehicles based ontraffic in respective lanes occupied by the two vehicles. For example,if a left lane has more traffic congestion ahead compared to a rightlane, the determining engine 126 may select the vehicle currentlyoccupying the right lane because it may be easier for the vehiclecurrently occupying the right lane to overtake the vehicle 101.

In some embodiments, if another vehicle such as the another vehicle 120tries to force itself into the lane occupied by the vehicle 101, despitethe determining engine 126 not providing a response signal indicatingthat the vehicle 101 intends to yield, the determining engine 126 maytake an action such as slowing down or stopping, in order to prevent anaccident, and provide an audio or visual alert to vehicles behind thevehicle 101.

In some embodiments, the determining engine 126 may further beconfigured to determine whether to yield to one or more pedestrians,bicyclists, and/or motorcyclists. In some embodiments, the determiningengine 126 may automatically determine to yield to a pedestrian if apredicted path of the pedestrian, based on a movement trajectory of thepedestrian, is within a threshold distance of a predicted path of thevehicle 101, no matter whether or not the pedestrian has signaled. Insome embodiments, the determining engine 126 may automatically determineto yield to a bicycle if a predicted path of the bicycle, based on amovement trajectory of the bicycle, is within a threshold distance of apredicted path of the vehicle 101, no matter whether or not thebicyclist has signaled. In some embodiments, the determining engine 126may automatically determine to yield to a motorcycle if a predicted pathof the motorcycle, based on a movement trajectory of the motorcycle, iswithin a threshold distance of a predicted path of the vehicle 101, nomatter whether or not the motorcyclist has signaled.

In response to the determining engine 126 determining an intendedaction, the determining engine 126 may send a response signal indicatingthe intended action to the source, in some embodiments. In someembodiments, if the intended action is yielding to a source, thedetermining engine 126 may, as the response signal, shine a pulsed lightmoving back and forth or side or side, on a side of the vehicle 101nearest the source. In some embodiments, the determining engine 126 mayadjust a brightness or a frequency of the response signal, such as thepulsed light moving back and forth, depending on a weather and/orvisibility condition. As an example, during nighttime the determiningengine 126 may increase the brightness and/or the frequency (e.g., speedat which the pulsed light moves back and forth) compared to thebrightness and/or frequency during daytime. As another example, duringinclement weather such as rain, hail, snow, hurricane, or tornado, thedetermining engine 126 may increase the brightness and/or the frequency.

In some examples, if the source is the another vehicle 120 that is on aright side of the vehicle 101, the determining engine 126 may shine apulsed light moving back and forth on the right side of the vehicle. Insome examples, if multiple sources from different sides are detected bythe detecting engine 125, the determining engine 126 may send a responsesignal from each of the different sides. If the multiple sources includeother vehicles on a left side and a right side of the vehicle 101, thedetermining engine 126 may shine a pulsed light moving back and forth onboth the left side and the right side of the vehicle 101. In someexamples, if the source is a pedestrian in front of the vehicle 101, thedetermining engine 126 may shine a pulsed light moving back and forth ona front of the vehicle 101.

After the determining engine 126 has sent a response signal to thesource, the detecting engine 125 may further determine whether thesource has sent a response to the response signal. In some examples, theresponse to the response signal may comprise the source (e.g., anothervehicle 120) speeding up to overtake the vehicle 101 while continuing tosignal that the source intends to merge into the same lane as thevehicle 101. The detecting engine 125 may transmit the response to theresponse signal to the determining engine 126.

The determining engine 126 may confirm whether or not to take theintended action based on the response to the response signal. In someexamples, the determining engine 126 may predict one or more responsesto the response signal. The determining engine 126 may determine whetherthe response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one ormore responses. For example, the determining engine 126 may predict thatone or more responses to the response signal (e.g., indication ofyielding) includes the source (e.g., another vehicle 120) speeding up toovercome the vehicle 101 while continuing to signal, or that the sourceflashes a light or moves a light pattern in a specific configurationback and forth. If the response, by the another vehicle 120, to theresponse signal is that the another vehicle 120 does indeed speed upand/or continue to signal, the determining engine 126 may determine thatthe response to the response signal does match one the predictedresponse, and confirm to take the intended action of yielding (e.g.,slowing down the vehicle 101). In another example, if the determiningengine 126 has sent a response signal to a walking pedestrian in frontof the vehicle 101, the determining engine 126 may predict that one ormore responses to the response signal (e.g., indication of yielding)includes the source (e.g., pedestrian) walking past the vehicle 101,perpendicular to a driving direction of the vehicle 101. If thepedestrian does walk past the vehicle 101, perpendicular to a drivingdirection of the vehicle 101 the determining engine 126 may determinethat the response to the response signal does match one the predictedresponse, and confirm to take the intended action of yielding to thepedestrian (e.g., stopping the vehicle 101).

On the other hand, if the response, by the another vehicle 120, to theresponse signal is that the another vehicle 120 slows down and/or stopssignaling, then the determining engine 126 may determine that theresponse to the response signal fails to match the predicted response,and the determining engine 126 may infer that the another vehicle 120 nolonger intends to overtake the vehicle 101 to merge into the laneoccupied by the vehicle 101. Similarly, if the response, by thepedestrian, to the response signal is that the pedestrian stops walkingand/or walks parallel to a driving direction of the vehicle 101, thenthe determining engine 126 may determine that the response to theresponse signal fails to match the predicted response, and thedetermining engine 126 may infer that the pedestrian does not intend towalk past the vehicle 101. In such scenarios, the determining engine 126may determine not to take the intended action of yielding. In someembodiments, if the determining engine 126 determines that the responseto the response signal fails to match the predicted response, thedetermining engine 126 may resend the response signal to the source(e.g., another vehicle 120, or a pedestrian).

If the detecting engine 125 fails to detect any response to the responsesignal, or if the response to the response signal fails to match one ormore of the predicted responses, the determining engine 126 may resendthe response signal. In some examples, the determining engine 126 mayresend the response signal at an increased brightness and/or frequencyto make sure what the intention of the source is. The determining engine126 may further determine whether the pedestrian is blind. In responseto the determining engine 126 determining that the pedestrian is blind,the determining engine 126 may send an audio signal rather than a visualsignal to the pedestrian.

After the determining engine 126 resends the response signal to thesource, the detecting engine 125 may detect or determine whether thesource has sent a response to the resent response signal. In response tothe detecting engine 125 determining that the source has not sent aresponse, the determining engine 126 may determine not to take theintended action (e.g., yielding), and may determine to continue drivingat normal speed and/or normal mode. In response to the detecting engine125 determining that the source has sent a response, the determiningengine 126 may determine whether the response matches one of thepredicted responses as explained above, and determines or confirmswhether to take the intended action based on whether the responsematches one of the predicted responses. In response to the determiningengine 126 determining that the response to the response signal does notmatch one or more of the predicted responses, the determining engine 126may determine an alternative action or intended action, such asselecting from another of the potential intended actions of the vehiclewith a second least amount of resources consumed, and/or has a secondleast amount of interference with other vehicles or pedestrians.

FIGS. 2-9 illustrate exemplary implementations of the system, accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure. Any reference to a vehicleperforming a determination or taking an action may be understood to meanthat one or more processors of the vehicle may perform the determinationor take the action.

In the implementation 200 of FIG. 2, a vehicle 210, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 280. The vehicle210 may comprise an array 212 of lights, which may include lights 213,214, 215, 216, and 217. In some embodiments, the array 212 may compriseany number of lights. Five lights are shown merely for illustrativepurposes. Another vehicle 220, which may be an AV, may be driving in alane 290 to a left side of the vehicle 210. The another vehicle 220 maycomprise an array 222 of lights, which may include lights 223, 224, 225,226, and 227, on a right side of the another vehicle 220, which is theside closest to the vehicle 210. In some embodiments, the array 222 maycomprise any number of lights. Five lights are shown merely forillustrative purposes. The another vehicle 220 may flash or blink thearray 222 of lights such that each of the lights 223, 224, 225, 226, and227 may be flashing or blinking (shown as darkened), in order to signalto the vehicle 210 that the another vehicle 220 intends to pass orovertake the vehicle 210 and merge into the lane 280. In someembodiments, the signal from the another vehicle 220 may only be shownon a side closest to the vehicle 210. For example, no lights on a front,back, or left portion of the another vehicle 220 may be flashing orblinking. In response to the another vehicle 220 flashing or blinkingthe array 222 of lights, the vehicle 210 may detect and recognize, viaone or more processors such as the detecting engine 125, the determiningengine 126, and/or other processors, that the another vehicle 220intends to merge into the lane 280. The vehicle 210 may be configured torecognize different patterns or sequences of flashing or blinkinglights, or other signals, as signals or indications that the anothervehicle 220 intends to merge into the lane 280. The vehicle 210 may, viaa processor such as the determining engine 126, provide a responsesignal that the vehicle 210 intends to yield to the another vehicle 220and allow the another vehicle 220 to merge into the lane 280. Theresponse signal may be that the array 212 of lights pulses or moves fromside to side or back and forth. For example, only one or only some ofthe lights in the array 212 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickeringat one time. Initially, only the light 213 (shown as darkened) may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering; then the light 217 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering; next, the light 216 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering; subsequently, the light 215 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering; then, the light 214 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering. In some embodiments, two adjacentlights may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering at one time, as theresponse signal of the vehicle 210. As an example, initially, only thelights 213 and 214 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then thelights 213 and 217 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; next,the lights 216 and 217 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering;subsequently, the lights 215 and 216 may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering; then, the lights 214 and 215 may be illuminated, flashing,or flickering. In some embodiments, the response signal may only beshown on a side closest to the another vehicle 220. For example, nolights on a front, back, or right portion of the vehicle 210 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering. The another vehicle 220 may beconfigured to detect different patterns or sequences of illuminated,flashing, or flickering lights from the vehicle 210, as a signal thatthe vehicle 210 intends to yield. Upon detecting that the vehicle 210intends to yield, the another vehicle 220 may speed up to overtake thevehicle 210 and merge into the lane 280. Once the another vehicle 220has completed merging into the lane 280, a processor such as theresponding engine 128 may cause the array 212 to terminate the responsesignal so that none of the lights in the array 212 is illuminated,flashing, or flickering. Additionally, the another vehicle 220 mayterminate the signal so that none of the lights in the array 222 oflights is illuminated, flashing, or flickering.

In the implementation 300 of FIG. 3, a vehicle 310, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 380. The vehicle310 may comprise an array 312 of lights, which may include lights 313,314, 315, 316, and 317. In some embodiments, the array 312 may compriseany number of lights. Five lights are shown merely for illustrativepurposes. Another vehicle 320, which may be an AV, may be driving in alane 390 to a left side of the vehicle 310. The another vehicle 320 maycomprise an array 322 of lights, which may include lights 323, 324, 325,326, and 327, on a right side of the another vehicle 320, which is theside closest to the vehicle 310. In some embodiments, the array 322 maycomprise any number of lights. Five lights are shown merely forillustrative purposes. The implementation of FIG. 3 may be similar tothat of FIG. 2, except that the another vehicle 320 is completely behindthe vehicle 310. In other words, no portion of the vehicle 310 isaligned with any portion of the another vehicle 320. The vehicle 310 maystill detect the signal from the another vehicle 320 that the anothervehicle 320 intends to merge into the lane 380 in front of the vehicle310. The vehicle 310 may then determine an intended action to beyielding to the another vehicle 320, signal to the another vehicle 320with the array 312 of lights that the vehicle 310 intends to yield, andslow down to allow the another vehicle 320 to overtake the vehicle 310.

In the implementation 400 of FIG. 4, a vehicle 410, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 480. The vehicle410 may comprise an array 412 of lights, which may include lights 413,414, 415, 416, and 417. In some embodiments, the array 412 may compriseany number of lights. Five lights are shown merely for illustrativepurposes. Another vehicle 420, which may be an AV, may be driving in alane 490 to a left side of the vehicle 410. The another vehicle 420 maycomprise an array 422 of lights, which may include lights 423, 424, 425,426, and 427, on a right side of the another vehicle 420, which is theside closest to the vehicle 410. In some embodiments, the array 422 maycomprise any number of lights. Five lights are shown merely forillustrative purposes. The implementation of FIG. 4 may be similar tothat of FIG. 2, except that the another vehicle 420 may not be signalingwith the array 422 of lights. As shown in FIG. 4, the array 422 oflights is not flashing or blinking. However, the vehicle 410 may stilldetect a lateral movement from the another vehicle 420 towards thevehicle 410, such as a distance of a lateral movement towards thevehicle 410 that exceeds a threshold amount. The lateral movement may bein a direction perpendicular to the driving direction of the vehicle410. The vehicle 410 may detect the lateral movement as a signal thatthe another vehicle 420 intends to merge into the lane 480. The vehicle410 may then determine an intended action to be yielding to the anothervehicle 420, signal to the another vehicle 420 that the vehicle 410intends to yield with the array 412 of lights, and slow down to allowthe another vehicle 420 to overtake the vehicle 410. In someembodiments, the vehicle 410 may only detect the lateral movement of avehicle (such as another vehicle 420) if the another vehicle 420 is notcompletely behind or ahead of the vehicle 410. If the another vehicle420 is completely behind or ahead of the vehicle 410, the vehicle 410may only detect that the another vehicle 420 intends to merge into thelane 480 if the another vehicle 420 signals via the array 422.

In the implementation 500 of FIG. 5, a vehicle 510, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 580. The vehicle510 may comprise an array 512 of lights on a left side of the vehicle510, which may include lights 513, 514, 515, 516, and 517. In someembodiments, the array 512 may comprise any number of lights. Fivelights are shown merely for illustrative purposes. The vehicle 510 mayfurther comprise a second array 532 of lights at a front side. Thesecond array 532 may include lights 533, 534, and 535. In someembodiments, the second array 532 may comprise any number of lights.Three lights are shown merely for illustrative purposes. In response tothe one or more pedestrians 540 making a hand signal or walking onto aroad, the vehicle 510 may detect and recognize, via one or moreprocessors such as the detecting engine 125, the determining engine 126,and/or other processors, that the one or more pedestrians 540 intend tocross the road. The vehicle 510 may, via a processor such as thedetermining engine 126, provide a response signal that the vehicle 510intends to yield to the one or more pedestrians 540 and allow the one ormore pedestrians 540 to cross the road through the lane 580 and lane590. The response signal may be that the second array 532 of lightspulses or moves from side to side or back and forth. For example, onlyone or only some of the lights in the array 532 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering at one time. Initially, only the light 534(shown as darkened) may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; thenthe light 535 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; next, thelight 533 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering. In someembodiments, two adjacent lights may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering at one time, as the response signal of the vehicle 510. As anexample, initially, only the lights 533 and 534 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; then the lights 534 and 535 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; next, the lights 535 and 536 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering. In some embodiments, the responsesignal may only be shown on a side closest to the one or morepedestrians 540. For example, no lights on a left, back, or rightportion of the vehicle 510 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering.As seen in FIG. 5, only the second array 532 of lights may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering, and the array 512 of lights maynot be illuminated, flashing, or flickering. Upon detecting that thevehicle 510 intends to yield, the one or more pedestrians 540 may crossthe road. The vehicle 510 may be completely stopped while the one ormore pedestrians 540 are crossing the road. Once the one or morepedestrians 540 have finished crossing the road, a processor such as theresponding engine 128 may cause the array 532 to terminate the responsesignal so that none of the lights in the array 532 is illuminated,flashing, or flickering. The vehicle 510 may then proceed driving.

In the implementation 600 of FIG. 6, a vehicle 610, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 680. The vehicle610 may comprise an array 612 of lights, which may include lights 613,614, 615, 616, and 617, on a left side of the vehicle 610, and an array602 of lights, which may include lights 603, 604, 605, 606, and 607, ona right side of the vehicle 610. In some embodiments, the array 612 andthe array 602 may comprise any number of lights. Five lights are shownmerely for illustrative purposes. A second vehicle 620, which may be anAV, may be driving in a lane 690 to a left side of the vehicle 610. Thesecond vehicle 620 may comprise an array 622 of lights, which mayinclude lights 623, 624, 625, 626, and 627, on a right side of thesecond vehicle 620, which is the side closest to the vehicle 610. Thesecond vehicle 620 may flash or blink the array 622 of lights such thateach of the lights 623, 624, 625, 626, and 627 may be flashing orblinking (shown as darkened), in order to signal to the vehicle 610 thatthe second vehicle 620 intends to pass or overtake the vehicle 610 andmerge into the lane 680. In some embodiments, the signal from the secondvehicle 620 may only be shown on a side closest to the vehicle 610. Forexample, no lights on a front, back, or left portion of the secondvehicle 620 may be flashing or blinking. A third vehicle 640, which maybe an AV, may be driving in a lane 685 to a right side of the vehicle610. The third vehicle 640 may comprise an array 642 of lights, whichmay include lights 643, 644, 645, 646, and 647, on a left side of thethird vehicle 640, which is the side closest to the vehicle 610. Thethird vehicle 640 may flash or blink the array 642 of lights such thateach of the lights 643, 644, 645, 646, and 647 may be flashing orblinking (shown as darkened), in order to signal to the vehicle 610 thatthe third vehicle 640 intends to pass or overtake the vehicle 610 andmerge into the lane 680. In some embodiments, the signal from the thirdvehicle 640 may only be shown on a side closest to the vehicle 610. Forexample, no lights on a front, back, right portion or side of the thirdvehicle 640 may be flashing or blinking. In response to the secondvehicle 620 and the third vehicle 640 flashing or blinking the arrays622 and 642 of lights, the vehicle 610 may detect and recognize, via oneor more processors such as detecting engine 125, determining engine 126,and/or other processors, that the second vehicle 620 and the thirdvehicle 640 intend to merge into the lane 680. The vehicle 610 may beconfigured to recognize different patterns or sequences of flashing orblinking lights, or other signals, as signals or indications that thesecond vehicle 620 and the third vehicle 640 intend to merge into thelane 680. The vehicle 610 may, via a processor such as the determiningengine 126, provide a response signal that the vehicle 610 intends toyield to the second vehicle 620 and the third vehicle 640 and allow thesecond vehicle 620 and the third vehicle 640 to merge into the lane 680.In some embodiments, the vehicle 610 may, via the determining engine126, determine to yield to both the second vehicle 620 and the thirdvehicle 630 based on determining that a distance in front of the vehicle610 and between the vehicle 610 and a next closest vehicle (e.g., afourth vehicle 660, which may be an AV) may be larger than a combinedlength of both the second vehicle 620 and the third vehicle 640. Thefourth vehicle 660 may be travelling on the lane 680 and comprise anarray 662 of lights, which may include lights 663, 664, 665, 666, and667, on a left side of the fourth vehicle 660, and an array 672 oflights, which may include lights 673, 674, 675, 676, and 677, on a rightside of the fourth vehicle 660.

The response signal as provided by the vehicle 610 may be that the array612 of lights, provided in response to the signal from the secondvehicle 620, and the array 602 of lights, provided in response to thesignal from the third vehicle 630, pulse or move from side to side orback and forth. For example, only one or only some of the lights in thearray 612 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering at one time.Initially, only the light 613 (shown as darkened) may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; then the light 617 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; next, the light 616 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; subsequently, the light 615 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; then, the light 614 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering. In some embodiments, two adjacent lights may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering at one time, as the response signalof the vehicle 610. As an example, initially, only the lights 613 and614 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then the lights 613 and617 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; next, the lights 616and 617 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; subsequently, thelights 615 and 616 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then,the lights 614 and 615 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering. Thearray 602 may operate in a manner similar to the array 612. In someembodiments, no lights on a front or back portion of the vehicle 610 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering. The second vehicle 620 may beconfigured to detect different patterns or sequences of illuminated,flashing, or flickering lights from the array 612 from the vehicle 610,as a signal that the vehicle 610 intends to yield. Upon detecting thatthe vehicle 610 intends to yield, the second vehicle 620 may speed up toovertake the vehicle 610 and merge into the lane 680. The third vehicle640 may be configured to detect different patterns or sequences ofilluminated, flashing, or flickering lights from the array 602 from thevehicle 610, as a signal that the vehicle 610 intends to yield. Upondetecting that the vehicle 610 intends to yield, the third vehicle 640may speed up to overtake the vehicle 610 and merge into the lane 680.Once the second vehicle 620 and the third vehicle 640 have completedmerging into the lane 680, a processor such as the responding engine 128may cause the array 612 and the array 602 to terminate the responsesignal so that none of the lights in the array 612 or the array 602 areilluminated, flashing, or flickering. Additionally, the second vehicle620 and the third vehicle 640 may terminate the signal so that none ofthe lights in the array 622 and the array 642 of lights are illuminated,flashing, or flickering.

In the implementation 700 of FIG. 7, a vehicle 710, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 780. The vehicle710 may comprise an array 712 of lights, which may include lights 713,714, 715, 716, and 717, on a left side of the vehicle 710, and an array702 of lights, which may include lights 703, 704, 705, 706, and 707, ona right side of the vehicle 710. In some embodiments, the array 712 andthe array 702 may comprise any number of lights. Five lights are shownmerely for illustrative purposes. A second vehicle 720, which may be anAV, may be driving in a lane 790 to a left side of the vehicle 710. Thesecond vehicle 720 may comprise an array 722 of lights, which mayinclude lights 723, 724, 725, 726, and 727, on a right side of thesecond vehicle 720, which is the side closest to the vehicle 710. Thesecond vehicle 720 may flash or blink the array 722 of lights such thateach of the lights 723, 724, 725, 726, and 727 may be flashing orblinking (shown as darkened), in order to signal to the vehicle 710 thatthe second vehicle 720 intends to pass or overtake the vehicle 710 andmerge into the lane 780. In some embodiments, the signal from the secondvehicle 720 may only be shown on a side closest to the vehicle 710. Forexample, no lights on a front, back, or left portion of the secondvehicle 720 may be flashing or blinking. A third vehicle 740, which maybe an AV, may be driving in a lane 785 to a right side of the vehicle710. The third vehicle 740 may comprise an array 742 of lights, whichmay include lights 743, 744, 745, 746, and 747, on a left side of thethird vehicle 740, which is the side closest to the vehicle 710. Thethird vehicle 740 may flash or blink the array 742 of lights such thateach of the lights 743, 744, 745, 746, and 747 may be flashing orblinking (shown as darkened), in order to signal to the vehicle 710 thatthe third vehicle 740 intends to pass or overtake the vehicle 710 andmerge into the lane 780. In some embodiments, the signal from the thirdvehicle 740 may only be shown on a side closest to the vehicle 710. Forexample, no lights on a front, back, right portion or side of the thirdvehicle 740 may be flashing or blinking. In response to the secondvehicle 720 and the third vehicle 740 flashing or blinking the arrays722 and 742 of lights, respectively, the vehicle 710 may detect andrecognize, via one or more processors such as detecting engine 125,determining engine 126, and/or other processors, that the second vehicle720 and the third vehicle 740 intend to merge into the lane 780. Thevehicle 710 may be configured to recognize different patterns orsequences of flashing or blinking lights, or other signals, as signalsor indications that the second vehicle 720 and the third vehicle 740intend to merge into the lane 780. The vehicle 710 may, via a processorsuch as the determining engine 126, provide a response signal that thevehicle 710 intends to yield to the second vehicle 720, but not providea response to the third vehicle 740, indicating that the vehicle 710 isnot yielding to the third vehicle 740 and not allowing the third vehicle740 to merge into the lane 780. In some embodiments, the vehicle 710may, via the determining engine 126, determine to yield to only thesecond vehicle 720 and not yield the third vehicle 730 based ondetermining that a distance in front of the vehicle 710 and between thevehicle 710 and a next closest vehicle (e.g., a fourth vehicle 760,which may be an AV) may not be large enough to accommodate both thesecond vehicle 720 and the third vehicle 740, and determining that thedistance between the vehicle 710 and the fourth vehicle 760 may only belarge enough to accommodate one vehicle. The fourth vehicle 760 may betravelling on the lane 780 and comprise an array 762 of lights, whichmay include lights 763, 764, 765, 766, and 767, on a left side of thefourth vehicle 760, and an array 772 of lights, which may include lights773, 774, 775, 776, and 777, on a right side of the fourth vehicle 760.

To determine which of the second vehicle 720 and the third vehicle 740to allow to merge into the lane 780, the vehicle 710 may, via thedetermining engine 126, choose whichever vehicle is in front, whichevervehicle has a larger distance from a next closest vehicle, and/orwhichever vehicle more urgently requires a merge into the lane 780,among other factors described previously with respect to FIG. 1. Here,the determining engine 126 may determine that the second vehicle 720 isin front of the third vehicle 740, so that the second vehicle 720 mayhave a smaller distance to travel in order to overtake the vehicle 710.The determining engine 126 may further determine that directly in frontof the third vehicle 740 are two other vehicles 758 and 759, whereas noother vehicles are directly in front of the second vehicle 720. Based atleast in part on these factors, the determining engine 126 may choosethe second vehicle 720 to allow to merge into the lane 780.

The response signal as provided by the vehicle 710 may be that the array712 of lights, provided in response to the signal from the secondvehicle 720, pulses or moves from side to side or back and forth, andthe array 702 of lights, does not provide any signal such as pulsing ormoving from side to side or back and forth, to the third vehicle 740,indicating that the vehicle 710 is not yielding to the third vehicle740. However, if the second vehicle 720 no longer indicates a signalthat the second vehicle 720 intends to merge into the lane 780, thevehicle 710 may then signal to the third vehicle 740, via the array 702,that the vehicle 710 intends to yield to the third vehicle 740.

As an example, only one or only some of the lights in the array 712 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering at one time. Initially, only thelight 713 (shown as darkened) may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering; then the light 717 may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering; next, the light 716 may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering; subsequently, the light 715 may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering; then, the light 714 may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering. In some embodiments, two adjacent lights may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering at one time, as the response signal of thevehicle 710. As an example, initially, only the lights 713 and 714 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then the lights 713 and 717 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering; next, the lights 716 and 717may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; subsequently, the lights715 and 716 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then, thelights 714 and 715 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering. In someembodiments, no lights on a front or back portion of the vehicle 710 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering. The second vehicle 720 may beconfigured to detect different patterns or sequences of illuminated,flashing, or flickering lights from the array 712 from the vehicle 710,as a signal that the vehicle 710 intends to yield. Upon detecting thatthe vehicle 710 intends to yield, the second vehicle 720 may speed up toovertake the vehicle 710 and merge into the lane 780. Once the secondvehicle 720 has completed merging into the lane 780, a processor such asthe responding engine 128 may cause the array 712 to terminate theresponse signal so that none of the lights in the array 712 areilluminated, flashing, or flickering. Additionally, the second vehicle720 may terminate the signal so that none of the lights in the array 722of lights are illuminated, flashing, or flickering.

In the implementation 800 of FIG. 8, a vehicle 810, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 880. The vehicle810 may comprise an array 812 of lights, which may include lights 813,814, 815, 816, and 817, on a left side of the vehicle 810, an array 802of lights, which may include lights 803, 804, 805, 806, and 807, on aright side of the vehicle 810, and an array 832 of lights, which mayinclude lights 833, 834, and 835, on a front portion of the vehicle 810.In some embodiments, the array 812, 802, and 832 may comprise any numberof lights. Five lights in the array 812 and 802, or three lights in thearray 832, are shown merely for illustrative purposes. A second vehicle820, which may be an AV, may be driving in a lane 890 to a left side ofthe vehicle 810. The second vehicle 820 may comprise an array 822 oflights, which may include lights 823, 824, 825, 826, and 827, on a rightside of the second vehicle 820, which is the side closest to the vehicle810, and an array 842 of lights, which may include lights 843, 844, and845, on a front side of the second vehicle 820. The second vehicle 820may flash or blink the array 822 of lights such that each of the lights823, 824, 825, 826, and 827 may be flashing or blinking (shown asdarkened), in order to signal to the vehicle 810 that the second vehicle820 intends to pass or overtake the vehicle 810 and merge into the lane880. In some embodiments, the signal from the second vehicle 820 mayonly be shown on a side closest to the vehicle 810. For example, nolights on a front, back, or left portion of the second vehicle 820 maybe flashing or blinking. The array 842 may operate in a similar manneras the array 822. A third vehicle 850, which may be an AV, may beturning into either the lane 890 or the lane 880. The third vehicle 850may comprise an array 852 of lights, which may include lights 853, 854,855, 856, and 857, on a right side of the third vehicle 850, and turnlights 858 and 859. The third vehicle 850 may flash or blink the turnlights 858 and 859 such that each of the lights 858 and 859 may beflashing or blinking (shown as darkened), in order to signal to thevehicle 810 and the second vehicle 820 that the third vehicle 850intends to turn into the lane 880 or the lane 890. In response to thesecond vehicle 820 flashing or blinking the arrays 822, and the thirdvehicle 850 flashing or blinking the turn lights 858 and 859, thevehicle 810 may detect and recognize, via one or more processors such asdetecting engine 125, determining engine 126, and/or other processors,that the second vehicle 820 and the third vehicle 850 intend to mergeinto the lane 880. The vehicle 810 may be configured to recognizedifferent patterns or sequences of flashing or blinking lights, or othersignals, as signals or indications that the second vehicle 820 and thethird vehicle 850 intend to merge into the lane 880. Additionally, thesecond vehicle 820 may detect that the third vehicle 850 is flashing orblinking the turn lights 858 and 859, and may provide a signal, via thearray 842 of lights, that the second vehicle 820 intends to yield to thethird vehicle 850.

The vehicle 810 may, via a processor such as the determining engine 126,provide a response signal, via the array 832 of lights, that the vehicle810 intends to yield to the third vehicle 850, but not provide aresponse to the second vehicle 820, indicating that the vehicle 810 isnot yielding to the second vehicle 820 and not allowing the secondvehicle 820 to merge into the lane 880. In some embodiments, the vehicle810 may, via the determining engine 126, determine to yield to only thethird vehicle 850 and not yield the second vehicle 820 based ondetermining that a distance in front of the vehicle 810 and between thevehicle 810 and a next closest vehicle (e.g., a fourth vehicle 860,which may be an AV) may not be large enough to accommodate both thesecond vehicle 820 and the third vehicle 850, and determining that thedistance between the vehicle 810 and the fourth vehicle 860 may only belarge enough to accommodate one vehicle. The fourth vehicle 860 may betravelling on the lane 880 and comprise an array 862 of lights, whichmay include lights 863, 864, 865, 866, and 867, on a left side of thefourth vehicle 860, and an array 872 of lights, which may include lights873, 874, 875, 876, and 877, on a right side of the fourth vehicle 860.Additionally or alternatively, the vehicle 810 may, via the determiningengine 126, determine that allowing the second vehicle 820 to merge at asame time as the third vehicle 850 is turning at an intersection isunsafe and not allow the second vehicle 820 to merge.

To determine which of the second vehicle 820 and the third vehicle 850to allow to merge into the lane 880, the vehicle 810 may, via thedetermining engine 126, choose whichever vehicle is in front, and/orwhichever vehicle more urgently requires a merge into the lane 880,among other factors described previously with respect to FIG. 1. Here,the determining engine 126 may determine that the third vehicle 850 isin front of the second vehicle 820, and that not allowing the thirdvehicle 850 to merge into the lane 880 may result in the third vehicle850 being stuck at an intersection and potentially blocking traffic onmultiple roads, so that the third vehicle 850 requires merging moreurgently. Based at least in part on these factors, the determiningengine 126 may choose the third vehicle 850 to allow to merge into thelane 880.

The response signal as provided by the vehicle 810 may be that the array832 of lights, provided in response to the signal from the turn lights858 and 859 from the third vehicle 850, pulses or moves from side toside or back and forth, and the array 802 of lights, does not provideany signal such as pulsing or moving from side to side or back andforth, to the second vehicle 820, indicating that the vehicle 810 is notyielding to the second vehicle 820. However, if the third vehicle 850successfully merges into the lane 890, the lane 880, or the lane 885, ifthe determining engine 126 determines that adequate space exists infront of the vehicle 810 to allow the second vehicle 820 to merge, andconditions are otherwise safe for merging, the determining engine 126may then signal to the second vehicle 820, via the array 812, that thevehicle 810 intends to yield to the second vehicle 820.

As an example, only one or only some of the lights in the array 832 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering at one time. Initially, only thelight 833 (shown as darkened) may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering because it is closest to the third vehicle 850. The light 833may be the only light in the array 832 that is illuminated, flashing, orflickering. Alternatively, different lights of the array may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering at different times. For example,the light 833 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; next, thelight 834 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; subsequently, thelight 835 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering. In someembodiments, two adjacent lights may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering at one time, as the response signal of the vehicle 810. As anexample, initially, only the lights 833 and 834 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; then the lights 834 and 835 may be illuminated,flashing, or flickering; next, the lights 835 and 833 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering. The third vehicle 850 may beconfigured to detect different patterns or sequences of illuminated,flashing, or flickering lights from the array 832 from the vehicle 810,as a signal that the vehicle 810 intends to yield. Upon detecting thatthe vehicle 810 intends to yield, the third vehicle 850 may speed up tomerge into the lane 880. Once the third vehicle 850 has completedmerging into the lane 880, a processor such as the responding engine 128may cause the array 832 to terminate the response signal so that none ofthe lights in the array 832 are illuminated, flashing, or flickering.Additionally, the third vehicle 850 may terminate the signal so thatnone of the turn lights 858 or 859 are illuminated, flashing, orflickering.

In the implementation 900 of FIG. 9, a vehicle 910, which may beimplemented as vehicle 101, may be driving in a lane 980. The vehicle910 may comprise an array 912 of lights, which may include lights 913,914, 915, 916, and 917. In some embodiments, the array 912 may compriseany number of lights. Five lights are shown merely for illustrativepurposes. Another vehicle 920, which may be an AV, may be driving in alane 920 to a left side of the vehicle 910. The another vehicle 920 maycomprise an array 922 of lights, which may include lights 923, 924, 925,926, and 927, on a right side of the another vehicle 920, which is theside closest to the vehicle 910. In some embodiments, the array 922 maycomprise any number of lights. Five lights are shown merely forillustrative purposes. The another vehicle 920 may flash or blink thearray 922 of lights such that each of the lights 923, 924, 925, 926, and927 may be flashing or blinking (shown as darkened), in order to signalto the vehicle 910 that the another vehicle 920 intends to pass orovertake the vehicle 910 and merge into the lane 980. In someembodiments, the signal from the another vehicle 920 may only be shownon a side closest to the vehicle 910. For example, no lights on a front,back, or left portion of the another vehicle 920 may be flashing orblinking. In response to the another vehicle 920 flashing or blinkingthe array 922 of lights, the vehicle 910 may detect and recognize, viaone or more processors such as the detecting engine 125, the determiningengine 126, and/or other processors, that the another vehicle 920intends to merge into the lane 980. The vehicle 910 may be configured torecognize different patterns or sequences of flashing or blinkinglights, or other signals, as signals or indications that the anothervehicle 920 intends to merge into the lane 980. The vehicle 910 may, viathe determining engine 126, determine whether and/or when to yield inorder to allow the second vehicle 920 to merge into the lane 980. Insome examples, the vehicle 910 may determine whether to allow the secondvehicle 920 to merge into the lane 980 based on another source such as atraffic light signal 992. For example, if allowing the second vehicle920 to merge into the lane 980 would be predicted to result in thevehicle 910 being caught or stuck at a red light, either immediately infront of the vehicle 910, or farther in the route (e.g., blocks or milesaway), the vehicle 910 may not yield to the second vehicle 920. Forexample, the vehicle 910 may be approaching an intersection while thetraffic light 992 is yellow. The vehicle 910 may first pass theintersection with the traffic light 992 before the traffic light 992turns red, and then, via a processor such as the determining engine 126,provide a response signal to the second vehicle 920 that the vehicle 910intends to yield.

The response signal may be that the array 912 of lights pulses or movesfrom side to side or back and forth. For example, only one or only someof the lights in the array 912 may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering at one time. Initially, only the light 913 (shown asdarkened) may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then the light917 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; next, the light 916 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering; subsequently, the light 915 maybe illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then, the light 914 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering. In some embodiments, two adjacentlights may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering at one time, as theresponse signal of the vehicle 910. As an example, initially, only thelights 913 and 914 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; then thelights 913 and 917 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering; next,the lights 916 and 917 may be illuminated, flashing, or flickering;subsequently, the lights 915 and 916 may be illuminated, flashing, orflickering; then, the lights 914 and 915 may be illuminated, flashing,or flickering. In some embodiments, the response signal may only beshown on a side closest to the another vehicle 920. For example, nolights on a front, back, or right portion of the vehicle 910 may beilluminated, flashing, or flickering. The another vehicle 920 may beconfigured to detect different patterns or sequences of illuminated,flashing, or flickering lights from the vehicle 910, as a signal thatthe vehicle 910 intends to yield. Upon detecting that the vehicle 910intends to yield, the another vehicle 920 may speed up to overtake thevehicle 910 and merge into the lane 980. Once the another vehicle 920has completed merging into the lane 980, a processor such as theresponding engine 128 may cause the array 912 to terminate the responsesignal so that none of the lights in the array 912 is illuminated,flashing, or flickering. Additionally, the another vehicle 920 mayterminate the signal so that none of the lights in the array 922 oflights is illuminated, flashing, or flickering.

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart of a method according to someembodiments. In this and other flowcharts, the flowchart 1000illustrates by way of example a sequence of steps. It should beunderstood the steps may be reorganized for parallel execution, orreordered, as applicable. Moreover, some steps that could have beenincluded may have been removed to avoid providing too much informationfor the sake of clarity and some steps that were included could beremoved, but may have been included for the sake of illustrativeclarity. The description from other FIGS. may also be applicable to FIG.10.

In step 1002, one or more processors may detect a signal from a source.In step 1004, the one or more processors may determine an intendedaction of a vehicle in response to detecting the signal. In step 1006,the one or more processors may send, to the source, a response signalindicative of the intended action. In step 1008, the one or moreprocessors may determine whether the source has sent a response to theresponse signal. In step 1010, the one or more processors may, inresponse to determining that the source has sent a response to theresponse signal, take the intended action based on the response to theresponse signal.

Hardware Implementation

The techniques described herein are implemented by one or morespecial-purpose computing devices. The special-purpose computing devicesmay be hard-wired to perform the techniques, or may include circuitry ordigital electronic devices such as one or more application-specificintegrated circuits (ASICs) or field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)that are persistently programmed to perform the techniques, or mayinclude one or more hardware processors programmed to perform thetechniques pursuant to program instructions in firmware, memory, otherstorage, or a combination. Such special-purpose computing devices mayalso combine custom hard-wired logic, ASICs, or FPGAs with customprogramming to accomplish the techniques. The special-purpose computingdevices may be desktop computer systems, server computer systems,portable computer systems, handheld devices, networking devices or anyother device or combination of devices that incorporate hard-wiredand/or program logic to implement the techniques.

Computing device(s) are generally controlled and coordinated byoperating system software, such as iOS, Android, Chrome OS, Windows XP,Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, Windows CE, Unix,Linux, SunOS, Solaris, iOS, Blackberry OS, VxWorks, or other compatibleoperating systems. In other embodiments, the computing device may becontrolled by a proprietary operating system. Conventional operatingsystems control and schedule computer processes for execution, performmemory management, provide file system, networking, I/O services, andprovide a user interface functionality, such as a graphical userinterface (“GUI”), among other things.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 1100 uponwhich any of the embodiments described herein may be implemented. Thecomputer system 1100 includes a bus 1102 or other communicationmechanism for communicating information, one or more hardware processors1104 coupled with bus 1102 for processing information. Hardwareprocessor(s) 1104 may be, for example, one or more general purposemicroprocessors.

The computer system 1100 also includes a main memory 1106, such as arandom access memory (RAM), cache and/or other dynamic storage devices,coupled to bus 1102 for storing information and instructions to beexecuted by processor 1104. Main memory 1106 also may be used forstoring temporary variables or other intermediate information duringexecution of instructions to be executed by processor 1104. Suchinstructions, when stored in storage media accessible to processor 1104,render computer system 1100 into a special-purpose machine that iscustomized to perform the operations specified in the instructions.

The computer system 1100 further includes a read only memory (ROM) 1108or other static storage device coupled to bus 1102 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processor 1104. A storage device 1110,such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or USB thumb drive (Flash drive),etc., is provided and coupled to bus 1102 for storing information andinstructions.

The computer system 1100 may be coupled via bus 1102 to output device(s)1112, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or LCD display (or touch screen),for displaying information to a computer user. Input device(s) 1114,including alphanumeric and other keys, are coupled to bus 1102 forcommunicating information and command selections to processor 1104.Another type of user input device is cursor control 1116, such as amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys for communicating directioninformation and command selections to processor 1104 and for controllingcursor movement on display 1112. This input device typically has twodegrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis(e.g., y), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane. Insome embodiments, the same direction information and command selectionsas cursor control may be implemented via receiving touches on a touchscreen without a cursor.

The computing system 1100 may include a user interface module toimplement a GUI that may be stored in a mass storage device asexecutable software codes that are executed by the computing device(s).This and other modules may include, by way of example, components, suchas software components, object-oriented software components, classcomponents and task components, processes, functions, attributes,procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware,microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays,and variables.

In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodiedin hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions,possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programminglanguage, such as, for example, Java, C or C++. A software module may becompiled and linked into an executable program, installed in a dynamiclink library, or may be written in an interpreted programming languagesuch as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python. It will be appreciatedthat software modules may be callable from other modules or fromthemselves, and/or may be invoked in response to detected events orinterrupts. Software modules configured for execution on computingdevices may be provided on a computer readable medium, such as a compactdisc, digital video disc, flash drive, magnetic disc, or any othertangible medium, or as a digital download (and may be originally storedin a compressed or installable format that requires installation,decompression or decryption prior to execution). Such software code maybe stored, partially or fully, on a memory device of the executingcomputing device, for execution by the computing device. Softwareinstructions may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will befurther appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised of connectedlogic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and/or may be comprised ofprogrammable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. Themodules or computing device functionality described herein arepreferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented inhardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer tological modules that may be combined with other modules or divided intosub-modules despite their physical organization or storage.

The computer system 1100 may implement the techniques described hereinusing customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmwareand/or program logic which in combination with the computer systemcauses or programs computer system 1100 to be a special-purpose machine.According to one embodiment, the techniques herein are performed bycomputer system 1100 in response to processor(s) 1104 executing one ormore sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory1106. Such instructions may be read into main memory 1106 from anotherstorage medium, such as storage device 1110. Execution of the sequencesof instructions contained in main memory 1106 causes processor(s) 1104to perform the process steps described herein. In alternativeembodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or incombination with software instructions.

The term “non-transitory media,” and similar terms, as used hereinrefers to any media that store data and/or instructions that cause amachine to operate in a specific fashion. Such non-transitory media maycomprise non-volatile media and/or volatile media. Non-volatile mediaincludes, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device1110. Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory 606.Common forms of non-transitory media include, for example, a floppydisk, a flexible disk, hard disk, solid state drive, magnetic tape, orany other magnetic data storage medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical datastorage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, aPROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, NVRAM, any other memory chip orcartridge, and networked versions of the same.

Non-transitory media is distinct from but may be used in conjunctionwith transmission media. Transmission media participates in transferringinformation between non-transitory media. For example, transmissionmedia includes coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, includingthe wires that comprise bus 1102. Transmission media can also take theform of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Various forms of media may be involved in carrying one or more sequencesof one or more instructions to processor 1104 for execution. Forexample, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk orsolid-state drive of a remote computer. The remote computer can load theinstructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over atelephone line using a modem. A modem local to computer system 1100 canreceive the data on the telephone line and use an infra-red transmitterto convert the data to an infra-red signal. An infra-red detector canreceive the data carried in the infra-red signal and appropriatecircuitry can place the data on bus 1102. Bus 1102 carries the data tomain memory 1106, from which processor 1104 retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory 1106 mayretrieves and executes the instructions. The instructions received bymain memory 1106 may optionally be stored on storage device 1110 eitherbefore or after execution by processor 1104.

The computer system 1100 also includes a communication interface 1118coupled to bus 1102. Communication interface 1118 provides a two-waydata communication coupling to one or more network links that areconnected to one or more local networks. For example, communicationinterface 1118 may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN)card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a modem to provide a datacommunication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. Asanother example, communication interface 1118 may be a local areanetwork (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to acompatible LAN (or WAN component to communicated with a WAN). Wirelesslinks may also be implemented. In any such implementation, communicationinterface 1118 sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or opticalsignals that carry digital data streams representing various types ofinformation.

A network link typically provides data communication through one or morenetworks to other data devices. For example, a network link may providea connection through local network to a host computer or to dataequipment operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). The ISP inturn provides data communication services through the world wide packetdata communication network now commonly referred to as the “Internet”.Local network and Internet both use electrical, electromagnetic oroptical signals that carry digital data streams. The signals through thevarious networks and the signals on network link and throughcommunication interface 1118, which carry the digital data to and fromcomputer system 1100, are example forms of transmission media.

The computer system 1100 can send messages and receive data, includingprogram code, through the network(s), network link and communicationinterface 1118. In the Internet example, a server might transmit arequested code for an application program through the Internet, the ISP,the local network and the communication interface 1118.

The received code may be executed by processor 1104 as it is received,and/or stored in storage device 1110, or other non-volatile storage forlater execution.

Each of the processes, methods, and algorithms described in thepreceding sections may be embodied in, and fully or partially automatedby, code modules executed by one or more computer systems or computerprocessors comprising computer hardware. The processes and algorithmsmay be implemented partially or wholly in application-specificcircuitry.

The various features and processes described above may be usedindependently of one another, or may be combined in various ways. Allpossible combinations and sub-combinations are intended to fall withinthe scope of this disclosure. In addition, certain method or processblocks may be omitted in some implementations. The methods and processesdescribed herein are also not limited to any particular sequence, andthe blocks or states relating thereto can be performed in othersequences that are appropriate. For example, described blocks or statesmay be performed in an order other than that specifically disclosed, ormultiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state.The example blocks or states may be performed in serial, in parallel, orin some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed fromthe disclosed example embodiments. The example systems and componentsdescribed herein may be configured differently than described. Forexample, elements may be added to, removed from, or rearranged comparedto the disclosed example embodiments.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements, or blocks in the flow diagramsdescribed herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions ofcode which include one or more executable instructions for implementingspecific logical functions or steps in the process. Alternateimplementations are included within the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executedout of order from that shown or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure. The foregoing description details certainembodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated, however, that nomatter how detailed the foregoing appears in text, the invention can bepracticed in many ways. As is also stated above, it should be noted thatthe use of particular terminology when describing certain features oraspects of the invention should not be taken to imply that theterminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to including anyspecific characteristics of the features or aspects of the inventionwith which that terminology is associated. The scope of the inventionshould therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims andany equivalents thereof.

Engines, Components, and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, engines, or mechanisms. Engines may constitute eithersoftware engines (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) orhardware engines. A “hardware engine” is a tangible unit capable ofperforming certain operations and may be configured or arranged in acertain physical manner. In various example embodiments, one or morecomputer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computersystem, or a server computer system) or one or more hardware engines ofa computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) asa hardware engine that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In some embodiments, a hardware engine may be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware engine may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware engine may be a special-purpose processor, such as aField-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware engine may also includeprogrammable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured bysoftware to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware enginemay include software executed by a general-purpose processor or otherprogrammable processor. Once configured by such software, hardwareengines become specific machines (or specific components of a machine)uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and are no longergeneral-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that the decision toimplement a hardware engine mechanically, in dedicated and permanentlyconfigured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.,configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware engine” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented engine” refers to a hardware engine. Consideringembodiments in which hardware engines are temporarily configured (e.g.,programmed), each of the hardware engines need not be configured orinstantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardwareengine comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software tobecome a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g.,comprising different hardware engines) at different times. Softwareaccordingly configures a particular processor or processors, forexample, to constitute a particular hardware engine at one instance oftime and to constitute a different hardware engine at a differentinstance of time.

Hardware engines can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware engines. Accordingly, the described hardwareengines may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiplehardware engines exist contemporaneously, communications may be achievedthrough signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses)between or among two or more of the hardware engines. In embodiments inwhich multiple hardware engines are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware engines may beachieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of informationin memory structures to which the multiple hardware engines have access.For example, one hardware engine may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware engine may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware engines may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented enginesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions describedherein. As used herein, “processor-implemented engine” refers to ahardware engine implemented using one or more processors.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented engines. Moreover, the one or more processors mayalso operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a“cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS).For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a groupof computers (as examples of machines including processors), with theseoperations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and viaone or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application ProgramInterface (API)).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processorsor processor-implemented engines may be located in a single geographiclocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or aserver farm). In other example embodiments, the processors orprocessor-implemented engines may be distributed across a number ofgeographic locations.

Language

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Although an overview of the subject matter has been described withreference to specific example embodiments, various modifications andchanges may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Such embodimentsof the subject matter may be referred to herein, individually orcollectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and withoutintending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to anysingle disclosure or concept if more than one is, in fact, disclosed.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

It will be appreciated that an “engine,” “system,” “data store,” and/or“database” may comprise software, hardware, firmware, and/or circuitry.In one example, one or more software programs comprising instructionscapable of being executable by a processor may perform one or more ofthe functions of the engines, data stores, databases, or systemsdescribed herein. In another example, circuitry may perform the same orsimilar functions. Alternative embodiments may comprise more, less, orfunctionally equivalent engines, systems, data stores, or databases, andstill be within the scope of present embodiments. For example, thefunctionality of the various systems, engines, data stores, and/ordatabases may be combined or divided differently.

“Open source” software is defined herein to be source code that allowsdistribution as source code as well as compiled form, with awell-publicized and indexed means of obtaining the source, optionallywith a license that allows modifications and derived works.

The data stores described herein may be any suitable structure (e.g., anactive database, a relational database, a self-referential database, atable, a matrix, an array, a flat file, a documented-oriented storagesystem, a non-relational No-SQL system, and the like), and may becloud-based or otherwise.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive orexclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided forresources, operations, or structures described herein as a singleinstance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources,operations, engines, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary,and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specificillustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality areenvisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presentedas separate resources in the example configurations may be implementedas a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures andfunctionality presented as a single resource may be implemented asseparate resources. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of thepresent disclosure as represented by the appended claims. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Conditional language, such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might,” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

For example, “is to be” could mean, “should be,” “needs to be,” “isrequired to be,” or “is desired to be,” in some embodiments.

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of theinvention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that theinvention may be practiced without these details. Moreover, whilevarious embodiments of the invention are disclosed herein, manyadaptations and modifications may be made within the scope of theinvention in accordance with the common general knowledge of thoseskilled in this art. Such modifications include the substitution ofknown equivalents for any aspect of the invention in order to achievethe same result in substantially the same way.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the presentspecification and claims, the word “comprise” and variations thereof,such as, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open,inclusive sense, that is as “including, but not limited to.” Recitationof numeric ranges of values throughout the specification is intended toserve as a shorthand notation of referring individually to each separatevalue falling within the range inclusive of the values defining therange, and each separate value is incorporated in the specification asit were individually recited herein. Additionally, the singular forms“a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. The phrases “at least one of,” “at least oneselected from the group of,” or “at least one selected from the groupconsisting of,” and the like are to be interpreted in the disjunctive(e.g., not to be interpreted as at least one of A and at least one ofB).

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of thephrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various placesthroughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment, but may be in some instances. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined inany suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

Although the invention(s) have been described in detail for the purposeof illustration based on what is currently considered to be the mostpractical and preferred implementations, it is to be understood thatsuch detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, isintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it isto be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to theextent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combinedwith one or more features of any other embodiment.

The foregoing description of the present invention(s) have been providedfor the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended tobe exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.The breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited byany of the above-described exemplary embodiments. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to the practitioner skilled in the art. Themodifications and variations include any relevant combination of thedisclosed features. The embodiments were chosen and described in orderto best explain the principles of the invention and its practicalapplication, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understandthe invention for various embodiments and with various modificationsthat are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended thatthe scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and theirequivalence.

1. A system of a vehicle comprising: one or more sensors; one or more processors; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to perform: detecting a signal from a source; determining an intended action of the vehicle in response to detecting the signal; sending, to the source, a response signal indicative of the intended action; determining whether the source has sent a response to the response signal; and in response to determining that the source has sent a response to the response signal, taking the intended action based on the response to the response signal.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the system to perform: predicting one or more responses to the response signal; in response to determining that the source has sent a response to the response signal, determining whether the response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses; if the response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses, taking the intended action; and if the response to the response signal does not match one of the predicted one or more responses, not taking the intended action.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein, the instructions further cause the system to perform: if the response to the response signal does not match one of the predicted one or more responses, resending the response signal to the source; in response to resending the response signal to the source, determining whether the response to the resent response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses; if the response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses, taking the intended action; and if the response to the response signal does not match one of the predicted one or more responses, determining an alternative action.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein, the instructions further cause the system to perform: in response to determining that the source has not sent a response to the response signal, resending a response signal at an increased brightness to the source; in response to resending the response signal to the source, determining whether the source has sent a response to the resent response signal; in response to determining that the source has sent a response to the resent response signal, taking the intended action based on the response to the response signal; and in response to determining that the source has not sent a response to the resent response signal, not taking the intended action.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein: the signal is a flashing light on a side of the source facing the vehicle, and indicates that the source intends to switch into a lane occupied by the vehicle; the intended action is yielding to the source; the response signal indicative of the intended action is a light moving from side to side; and the response to the response signal is speeding up the source while continuing the signal.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein, the instructions further cause the system to perform: adjusting a brightness or a frequency of the response signal based on a weather or visibility condition.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein, the detecting the signal from the source comprises: in response to the vehicle not being completely in front of or behind the source, with respect to a driving direction of the vehicle, detecting that the source is moving in a lateral direction towards the vehicle; and the intended action is yielding to the source.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein, the determining the intended action of the vehicle comprises: determining potential intended actions of the vehicle; and selecting, as the intended action, one of the potential intended actions of the vehicle that consumes a least amount of resources and has a least amount of interference with one or more other vehicles or pedestrians.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein, the instructions further cause the system to perform: in response to detecting two signals from two respective sources: determining whether to respond to the two signals simultaneously with a single intended action; in response to determining not to respond to the two signals simultaneously, determining which of the two signals has a higher priority.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein, the determining which of the two signals has a higher priority is based on any of: which of the two signals was detected first, a current location of each of the two sources, and an intended destination of each of the two sources.
 11. A method implemented by a computing system including one or more processors and storage media storing machine-readable instructions, wherein the method is performed using the one or more processors, the method comprising: detecting a signal from a source; determining an intended action of the vehicle in response to detecting the signal; sending, to the source, a response signal indicative of the intended action; determining whether the source has sent a response to the response signal; and in response to determining that the source has sent a response to the response signal, taking the intended action based on the response to the response signal.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: predicting one or more responses to the response signal; in response to determining that the source has sent a response to the response signal, determining whether the response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses; if the response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses, taking the intended action; and if the response to the response signal does not match one of the predicted one or more responses, not taking the intended action.
 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: if the response to the response signal does not match one of the predicted one or more responses, resending the response signal to the source; in response to resending the response signal to the source, determining whether the response to the resent response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses; if the response to the response signal matches one of the predicted one or more responses, taking the intended action; and if the response to the response signal does not match one of the predicted one or more responses, determining an alternative action.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: in response to determining that the source has not sent a response to the response signal, resending a response signal at an increased brightness to the source; in response to resending the response signal to the source, determining whether the source has sent a response to the resent response signal; in response to determining that the source has sent a response to the resent response signal, taking the intended action based on the response to the response signal; and in response to determining that the source has not sent a response to the resent response signal, not taking the intended action.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein: the signal is a flashing light on a side of the source facing the vehicle, and indicates that the source intends to switch into a lane occupied by the vehicle; the intended action is yielding to the source; the response signal indicative of the intended action is a light moving from side to side; and the response to the response signal is speeding up the source while continuing the signal.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising: adjusting a brightness or a frequency of the response signal based on a weather or visibility condition.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein: the detecting the signal from the source comprises: in response to the vehicle not being completely in front of or behind the source, with respect to a driving direction of the vehicle, detecting that the source is moving in a lateral direction towards the vehicle; and the intended action is yielding to the source.
 18. The method of claim 11, wherein, the determining the intended action of the vehicle comprises: determining potential intended actions of the vehicle; and selecting, as the intended action, one of the potential intended actions of the vehicle that consumes a least amount of resources and has a least amount of interference with one or more other vehicles or pedestrians.
 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising: in response to detecting two signals from two respective sources: determining whether to respond to the two signals simultaneously with a single intended action; in response to determining not to respond to the two signals simultaneously, determining which of the two signals has a higher priority.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining which of the two signals has a higher priority is based on any of: which of the two signals was detected first, a current location of each of the two sources, and an intended destination of each of the two sources. 